Hotovely Protests Obama’s ‘Scandalous’ Pressure on Israel

Deputy Minister: American officials are weak in the face of Russia, so they pressure Israel.

By Maayana Miskin

First Publish: 3/5/2014, 1:45 AM

MK Tzipi Hotovely

Nissim Lev

United States President Barack Obama’s pressure on Israel to make concessions to the Palestinian Authority “borders on outrageous,” Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said Tuesday, speaking to Arutz Sheva.

“There’s no cause for calm in light of Obama’s serious statements,” she cautioned.

American leaders are making the mistake of pressuring Israel in response to their weakness in the face of Syria and Russia, she charged. She warned against caving in to U.S. pressure, saying, “The more Israel gives in, the more concessions the Palestinians want.”

“There’s an intolerable situation here where the United States is forcing Israel into an agreement that going against the interests of the Israeli public,” she declared, adding, “With all due respect, the international community won’t be at our side when a Hamas state is established on Israel’s eastern border.”

“We need to show political strength,” she urged. Israel’s coalition government is unwilling to accept the deal that American and Palestinian Authority leaders are proposing, she said, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should be made to see that.

“The atmosphere that greets the Prime Minister is important. He should realize that even if there are big plans being made overseas, the Coalition won’t allow him to make that kind of agreement,” she explained.

“If necessary, there should be threats to quit [the government],” she said. If necessary, the political right should be willing to break apart the coalition and go to elections, she continued, allowing voters to decide if they want to vote for the Right again.

“We need to stand up for the sacred principle of not supporting a right-wing government that becomes the arm of problematic American policy,” she explained.